Mesang district

While in Prey Veng City we heard a story that a farmer in Mesang district had just found an 'ancient statue', which the locals had decided was sacred and even magical, and that the statue had become quite the local event drawing people from the surrounding villages to pay homage, seek luck and divine assistance. Mesang is perhaps the most difficult part of Prey Veng province to reach, but we had nothing better to do, so we set off early. It took 5 1/2 hours to traverse the 35km, though we found a better way back though reducing the trip to 3 1/2 hours. We found pretty much exactly what had been described to us in Prey Veng. Turns out a poor farmer found the statue buried in a mound in his rice paddies. He dug it out, set it up at his house and immediately became a local celebrity. The statue was reputed to have 'great power' and people were coming from far and wide to partake of its power, get cured of various medical ailments, and of course, make a donation for the privilege. There were at least 60 people there when I visited. The farmer told me that he planned to take the statue and donate it to the king, though he hoped for some compensation. He asked if I thought the Ministry of Culture would pay more. I didn't know. I later learned that he took the statue to the Ministry of Culture amidst much fanfare.

	On the road from Prey Veng town to the Mesang district capital. This was in October, near the end of the monsoon season, so the water was relatively high, over the road at points.
Negotiating a make-shift bridge.
	The family that found the relic - a 10th century Buddha figure and a linga stand from a different era, perhaps 8th or 9th century.
Our arrival draws a crowd of children. Mesang is very rarely visited by foreigners others than a few NGO workers. Foreign faces are still quite a novelty and an attraction in Mesang.
	Preparing to spill water over the artifact. Onlookers would catch the water in containers and their hands as it ran off the statue, some drinking it or spreading it on there head. others would take it away to be used as medicine.
Spilling water over the artifact..
	Taking us to see where they found the artifact.
The whole from which the artifact was extracted.